Clare Moore has always been drawn to the ‘ascetic order of monastery and nunnery cells,’ and the Japanese design sensibility of wabi sabi.
These inspirations meet in her 1970s Carlton apartment, where Clare lives with her housemate Darcy.
Clare was already familiar with the Melbourne building, and appreciated its relatively austere form that reminds her of Le Corbusier’s Sainte Marie de La Tourette in France.
‘I had two friends living in the same block who I’d visit often, so when one became available next door, I knew I had to apply,’ she says.
There were a few apartments available to rent at the time, but Clare was most attracted to this one for its blue carpet and warm timber cabinetry. ‘In most of them, the cabinetry doors had been painted white,’ she says. ‘Ours was the only one that had been spared.’
Clare dreams of how she’d ideally renovate the apartment (’I have a grand plan of laying new cork flooring in the kitchen and bathroom to replace the old peel-and-stick lino tiles’), but as a renter, she’s made only small and reversible cosmetic changes.
‘I have replaced the original mustard yellow benchtops in the kitchen with a black vinyl wrap, swapped out curtains and oyster light fittings, and hung a feature light over the dining room table in the living room,’ she says.
‘Being such a prominent feature of the house, I use a furniture potion on my timber doors to keep them happy and hydrated.’
Clare’s personal style comes through in the furniture. She can often be found moseying around markets, bazaars, and secondhand stores looking for pieces she’s never seen before, and those requiring a little TLC.
She explains, ‘I tend to buy furniture requiring some love, with the intention of restoring and reworking it. This allows me to understand the decisions made and craftsmanship of other makers.
‘At this stage, I’ve reworked my bar stools, daybed, dining chairs, and coffee table — all things that I use and enjoy every day.’
These pieces imbue the home with a sense of wabi sabi: the Japanese philosophy simply described as finding beauty within imperfection.
‘I believe the apartment reflects this appreciation and behaves as a home to my miscellany of objects, some new but, for the most part, old,’ says Clare. ‘Everything is rotated often and can seemingly change with each new item brought in to sit next to it.’
The living space is heavily furnished, but Clare’s bedroom is a more minimal space, inspired by Clare’s fascination for the simplicity of monastery and nunnery cells. ‘Their utilitarian design focus is something I’ve tried to emulate in various elements of the apartment, particularly in my bedroom,’ she explains.
Clare feels lucky to live in such a warm and calm space close to her favourite Melbourne haunts, the city, and multiple friends who also live in the building.
‘It’s a sweet, ever-growing little community we have amongst us,’ she says.
‘Coming home, I feel a great sense of release and refuge. To have a home that invites such peace and quiet is something I am very grateful for.’
